Plate



July 7, 1925. 1,544,972

G. C. GEBELEIN PLATE Filed Sept. 22 1924 Patented July 7 11925.

y UNITED STATES 1,544,912 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE c. annum, or WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

PLATE.

applicati@ med september 22, 19M.` serial No. 7as,97s.

To all 'whom z't mary concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. GEBEIEIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wellesley in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPlates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to plates or trays and more particularlyto an article of this character which is provided with means forretaining and ho ding 1a liquid receptacle.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedform of plate which will adequately serve food and liquid at luncheonparties, teas, picnics and similar gatherings.

With this object in view, the various features of the invention consistin certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangementsof parts hereinafter vdescribed and claimed, the advanta es of whichwill be obvious to those skille in the art from the followingdescription.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of theinvention Fig. 1 is a section in elevation of the improved plate with acup of conventional form supported thereon; Fig. 2v represents a sectionin elevation of several plates stacked one upon another and illustratingthe manner in which the plates nest; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of theplate showing the preferred loczlition of the cup retaining lip withinthe ate.

p The plate `shown in the illustrated Aembodiment of the invention ispreferably molded or drawn into a circular form, as inv dicated at 10 inFig. 3. The plate is provided with a iat bottom portion 12 surrounded bya rim 14, the walls of the bot` tom portion and rim being of uniformthickness. Located at one side of the Plate and within the upstandingrim 14 is an annular lip 16 raised from the bottom portion 12 and ofsucient depth to retain acup or other liquid receptacle, even though theplate may be substantially inclined or tipped from the horizontal. Theannular lip 16 is provided with converging walls 18 and 19 which surfround a flat bottom portion 20 positioned the plate, such as sandwicheswith soft fillings. It will be evident from an inspection of thedrawings that `the annular lip is spaced Well within the surrounding rimof the plate so that the latter may be grasped and supported at anypoint without contact of the fingers with the cup. This location of therecess leaves a maximum ortion of the plate available for the use o foodbut permits a cup containing hot liquid to be supported without dangeror liability of contact by the person holding the plate.

A plate of this character may be made of metal suitably drawn or moldedto form the -plate with the cup retaining lip raised from the bottomportion or it may be molded with the lip therein from paper, fibrecomposition, or similar material. The formation v'of a relatively deepannular lip in the manner illustratedI is especially advantageous inconnection with paper or composition plates, as it materiallystrengthens and reinforces the plate, against distortion and enables itto suppot .heavier burdens than would otherwise be possible. It will beevident that, irrespective of the material emf ployed, the formation ofthe cup holding depression permits the plates to be nested and stacked,this feature being of especial advantage in connection with plates emloyed for picnics and similar gatherings, w ere it is ldesirable tostack large numbers of plates in as small a space as possible.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with aplate of conventional circular form, nevertheless it should beunderstood that the features of the invention are equally wellapplicable to what might be termed a tray or similar article ofmanufacture produced in any conventional form. It is accordinglyintended that the term plate as employed throughout the s ecication andclaim shall define any artic e adapted for supporting :food and liquid.

I claim:

An article of manufacture comprising a plate having a relatively fiatbottom portion of uniform thickness surrounded by a retaining rim, andan annular retaining lip raised from the Hat bottom portion at one sidethereof and Within the rim, the annular lip being formed with convergingwalls to provide a retaining recess of substantial depth for theretention of the base of a liquid receptacle and form on the oppositeside an annular recess of suiicientdepth and width to permitintroduction of the retaining lip on a second plate and substantialnesting of two or more plates one within another.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE C. GEBELEIN.

